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the offspring
Of an unruly mind. Like
some strong man
Whom pygmies in his sleep
have bound with threads
Of twisted cobweb, and he
to their plan
Is captive while he sleeps,
but quickly shreds
His bonds when he awakes and
sees the thing
That they have bound him with.
His faith and will
Purged all evil passions from
his mind,
And left there one great overmastering
love
For all his fellows.
War taught him to find
That peace, for which at other
times he strove
In vain, and new-found friendship
did fulfil
His thoughts with happiness.
Such was the soul
That he perfected, ready for
the call
Of his dear Master (should
it to him come),
Scornful of death’s
terrors, yet withal
Loath to leave this life,
while still was some
Part of the work he dreamed
undone, his goal
As yet unreached. There
was for such an one
A different work among those
given,
Who’ve crossed the border
of eternity
In youthful heedlessness,—as
unshriven
Naked souls joined the great
fraternity
O’ the dead, while yet
their life was just begun ...
And so he went from us unto
his task,
For all our life is as it
were a mask
That lifteth at our death,
and death is birth
To higher things than are
upon this earth.
L.P.
* * * * *
FLASHMAN’S hotel,
RAWAL PINDI.
April 25th, 1915.
To his mother.
They are calling for volunteers from Territorial battalions to fill gaps in the Persian Gulf—one subaltern, one sergeant, and thirty men from each battalion. So far they have asked the Devons, Cornwalls, Dorsets, Somersets and East Surreys, but not the Hampshires. So I suppose they are going to reserve us for feeding the 4th Hants in case they want casualties replaced later on. Even if they come to us, I don’t think they are likely to take me or Luly, because in every case they are taking the senior subaltern: and that is a position which I am skipping by being promoted along with the three others: and Luly is a long way down the list. But of course I shall volunteer, as there is no adequate reason not to; so I thought you would like to know, only you mustn’t worry, as the chance of my going is exceedingly remote: but I like to tell you everything that happens.
* * * * *
Four months after he wrote this, in August, 1915, Robert was on leave at Naini Tal, with Purefoy Causton, a brother officer.
* * * * *
August 3rd, 1915.
To his mother.
It has been extremely wet since I last wrote. On Saturday we could do nothing except laze indoors and play billiards and Friday was the same, with a dull dinner-party at the end of it. It was very nice and cool though, and I enjoyed those two days as much as any.
